Last Wish

LAST WISH

Shelley Munro

Table of Contents

Introduction

Note to Readers

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Excerpt – No Defense

Excerpt – Best Man

About Shelley

Other Works by Shelley

Copyright Page

Introduction

Freedom. Zane craves it, but to earn liberty he must fulfill the last wish on his genie contract and evade the Genie Boss’s clutches for ten days. If he fails, it will mean another term of genie duty. Been there. Bought the T-shirt. This time Zane is determined to beat the odds and grab his chance for freedom.

When Dillon Sanderson goes to the market, the last thing he expects is a gorgeous genie to materialize in front of him. Handsome. Charismatic. Tempting and enticing. Dillon takes one look and wants to explore the sparks of attraction leaping between them. He offers the sexy genie a place to hide. The tentative friendship quickly grows to more—raw need sparks into passion and hot, toe-curling sex along with hijinks in the kitchen. Long nights of intense lovin’ lead to mutual pleasure and loads of unrestrained fun.

Dillon has fallen fast and wants forever but the genie is determined to leave once he’s free and he intends to celebrate his independence alone. Somehow, Dillon has to persuade him they’re perfect together because time is running out and the Genie Boss and the merc-magicks are hot on their trail…

Contains explicit sex scenes.

A Note to Readers

I’ve wanted to write a genie story ever since I was a child and saw I Dream of Jeannie on TV. Yes, I’m showing my age a little, but this television show, along with Bewitched and an even older show called My Favorite Martian were my first taste of the paranormal and things that go bump in the night. I also loved Casper, the Friendly Ghost cartoons.

Of course, this story doesn’t have much in common with these old television shows since my main characters are both male and this is their love story. But, at long last, I’ve managed to slip a genie into one of my stories. I hope you enjoy Dillon and Zane’s story and the trials and tribulations they face before they reach their happy-ever-after ending.

Enjoy!

Shelley

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Chapter One

Country town, Sumner, South Island, New Zealand

Are you ready yet? The front door to his house slammed shut loud enough for his neighbor to hear—the one living a kilometer down the road. Swift footsteps spoke of impatience. Dillon!

Dillon Sanderson glanced at his watch and groaned softly. Susan. Well, hell—in trouble again. I’m in my office. Is it time already? He scowled at his watch, gave the glass a sharp tap with a forefinger and shook his wrist for good measure. Maybe it was running fast and his sister had arrived early?

Susan barreled into his lounge-come-office and stared at him with accusation in her blue eyes. I told you to be ready when I arrived. You haven’t even showered. The hands planted on her ample hips underlined her irritation.

He dragged his hand through uncombed hair and leaned back to scratch his bare belly just to annoy her. After all, that’s what brothers existed for—to irritate their sisters. Luckily, he’d pulled on a pair of ratty sweatpants because otherwise he would have really rattled her cage.

Another thought occurred and he speared a suspicious look in her direction. You’re alone, aren’t you? With his testy words still echoing between them, he craned his neck, attempting to look around his sister to see if there was anyone standing behind her. Susan kept trying to fix him up with her friends, no matter how many times he told her he wasn’t interested.

Chill, she snapped. There’s no one with me.

Dillon relaxed fractionally but the slight pink tinge in her cheeks brought back wariness. He waved his hand in front of her face. Hello. I’m gay. Not interested in sleeping with women. Remember?

I can hardly forget. You told me in front of Jennifer. I’ve never been so embarrassed in all my life.

A chuckle slipped free. He remembered the occasion and his speechless red-faced sister. Susan’s reaction alone had made his public outing worthwhile. That and the fact she’d stopped trying to fix him up with her friends. His declaration at the rugby after-match function had set the seal on his announcement. He was officially out, even though the single women in Sumner were finding his declaration difficult to deal with, there being a shortage of men in the town and all.

He stood to stretch. I told you I preferred to hunt for sexual partners on my own. I don’t need help. He lifted his hands over his head, joints popping and protesting after hunching over the computer for so long.

Why aren’t you ready?

Some bastard hacked my computer and left a virus. Anger burned through him again for the umpteenth time. If he got his hands on them… I’ve been trying to locate the culprit and send the virus back. A mutated one, he added. Revenge was gonna be sweet. So sweet.

That can wait. Susan morphed into what he called her teacher-parent mode. He just wished she’d stop treating him like one of her children. Go and shower. We’re leaving in five minutes. If we don’t hurry, all the good things will sell before we arrive at the market. It’s the last one before Mum’s birthday.

Yeah. Okay. Sorry. Dillon moved, knowing he’d lose if he tried to tangle with her in this mood. Although petite compared to him, her determined jaw and ramrod straight posture told him he’d pushed his sister far enough.

Ten minutes later, fully clothed with his hair semi-tamed, he crammed his body into Susan’s small bubble-shaped car, and they headed to the market to buy silverware for their mother’s birthday. Or at least that was the plan.

Susan drove so fast the scenery blurred during the drive from his house—set in a rural pasture on the banks of the Marin River—to the center of town about ten kilometers away. Sumner was a typical New Zealand rural town. The main street consisted of a butcher, a stationary and bookstore, a baker, a few cafés and takeaway joints, a hardware store, a post office, a petrol station and a bank. The police station sat on an adjacent street along with the town hall, library and council buildings. A supermarket, church and a real estate agent rounded out the local amenities.

Maybe he could’ve moved like most of his friends had once they’d completed their education, but he liked the place. He enjoyed gazing from his windows to see the countryside, hearing animals and feeling the cool breeze wash across his face while he walked along the riverbank near his house.

Sumner was a place where everyone knew each other’s business and walked into houses without knocking. Sometimes that wasn’t a good thing, Dillon decided with a quick glance at his sister, but he still loved the relaxed pace of life and had no desire to move to the city.

The feature that made Sumner different from the neighboring townships was the large grassy square right in the center of town. It was perfect for markets, fetes and special town celebrations and a real hub of activity. The antique fair, held on the third Saturday of each month, brought visitors from the surrounding district into the town and separated them from their money. Susan was positive they’d find a gift for their mother at this market.

He read the prominent sign advertising the upcoming Christmas parade and studied the oncoming traffic. Bloody hell. His left foot frantically worked the brake but of course, the car didn’t slow since he sat in the passenger seat.

Someone in this town unleashed the virus on me, he said, talking to take his mind off Susan’s driving and her proximity to a cyclist. He closed his eyes when they almost took out the poor woman.

Will you shut up about your precious computer?

Dillon risked a glance over his shoulder and saw the vicar’s wife wobble to a hurried stop. Still in one piece. His breath hissed out in a sigh of relief. It’s my job, my livelihood. How can I write and design adventure comics if my computer has a virus?

Susan snorted rudely. Get another computer.

I’m not made of money.

You would be if you went back to practicing law.

An old argument and one his sister wasn’t going to win. He ignored her dig. The person is going to pay.

How do you know it’s someone from Sumner?

Because through a stroke of good luck I managed to track down the Internet service provider, but so far I don’t have a name. A couple of my friends have contacts in the right places. It’s Two Gates, a local place, which means it’s possible the person lives here in Sumner—quite probable actually with the big computer club at the local college.

Yeah, all right. Don’t go on about it. Concentrate. Susan pulled into a vacant space in the car park on the far side of the square, stopping about two inches away from the neighboring car’s bumper.

Dillon had no idea how the driver would escape if they wanted to leave first. He shrugged and climbed from the car. Not his problem. More important things to worry about.

Right, Susan said. Here’s the plan. Since we’re late, we need to split up. Mum collects anything silver but likes teapots most of all. You know how to tell it’s real silver, right?

Yeah. I look for the silversmith’s mark. Teapots. Got it. She’d mentioned it about ten times when they’d first discussed the idea. He was tired of the lecture.

You’ll concentrate on silver, right? No more virus talk. Don’t get distracted if you meet one of your friends. It’s no big deal.

No big deal? No big deal? The virus has screwed up my hard drive, he howled loud enough to attract the attention of a trendy young woman towing a kid by the hand. She took one look at his contorted face and made a wide detour. He inhaled deeply and strived for calm.

You need to get a life, Susan retorted. Then you wouldn’t need to worry about hard drives.

Easy for her to say. Susan had snagged her man already and that had made her complacent. There weren’t many eligible males in Sumner, which was why he ended up engrossed in work instead.

They entered a market area crowded with eager customers. A Christmas carol about reindeer and Grandma rang out while several of the stalls had a Christmas theme going with flashing lights and gaudy strands of tinsel. The aisles were thick with people, not a clear patch of grass visible.

Susan deftly applied an elbow to an unlucky passerby in an attempt to enter the flow of foot traffic. Damn, I knew I should have told you an hour earlier. We’re going to miss out on the good buys. Oh…looks like that guy selling both vegetables and antiques is here again. I’ll get him to keep me one of the mixed boxes before they all sell. They’re organic and very tasty.

Dillon scowled, scanning the locals and strangers crowding the open market area. One of these people might be responsible for giving him the virus.

Silver, Susan said in a firm voice, obviously reading his mind. Her teacher-parent persona again.

He grimaced and attempted to shove his problems aside to concentrate on buying a gift for their mother. Yeah, yeah. Teapots. Got it.

Susan hurried off, leaving him to his assignment. He maneuvered between the stalls and customers browsing them, scanning each one he passed and assessing the goods for sale. Thank god, he was tall. This was an occasion when his height and size became an asset.

Hey, Dillon.

Matthew. He nodded at the president of the computer club, his eyes narrowing in distrust. You shopping?

Was Matthew the bastard who’d set a virus on him? The kid had the knowledge and incentive, given that Matthew’s girlfriend had placed Dillon in the husband category. A shudder of horror frisked him as he recalled the incident. He barely resisted the urge